The Premiership pedigree challenges continue to test the best of York City's defensive know-how.

After last week battling to contain the talent of Spurs' Rory Allen on loan at Luton, City have to duel with another asset borrowed from the top-flight.

Bournemouth's attack has been supplemented of late by the impish influence of former England youth international Mark Stein.

The 32-year-old is on loan with the Cherries from Coca-Cola Cup winners Chelsea until the end of the season.

Stein is likely to be purged from Stamford Bridge in the summer after arriving there in 1993 as Stoke City's record sale in a £1,500,000 move to the west London glamour club.

But before his summer future is known Stein is charged with keeping the Bournemouth front-line bubbling as they prepare for their assault on Wembley a week tomorrow when they meet Grimsby Town in the final of the Auto Windscreens Shield. Safely in mid-table free of relegation fear or play-off pretension Bournemouth can concentrate wholly on their Wembley showdown.

But Stein is eager to please as well as sign-posting to other clubs that he has several seasons at the top still left.

Since swapping blue for the red, black and white stripes of the Cherries, South African-born Stein has sparkled. Two goals in four games is his productive start, including a recent winner over Carlisle. Since making his debut for Luton Town in the 1983-84 season following in the footsteps of elder brother and England striker Brian Stein, Mark has always been among the goals, though his impressive ratio of one goal in just under every three games gathered pace in mid-career.

He had five seasons with the Hatters, including a loan stint with now defunct Aldershot, before moving to Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 1988 for £300,000.

Within two seasons he was again on Home Counties travels moving to Oxford United. Some 18 goals and 82 League games later he linked up with Stoke City for £100,000. It was in the Potteries his goal knack flourished. Three seasons with the Potters notched 50 league goals in 94 starts to earn the call back to the capital in that £1.5m move to Chelsea.

He could not have asked for a better start. Under Glenn Hoddle Stein struck 13 times in his first 18 games, but as more exotic names flowed into the Bridge base Stein found himself way down the pecking order prompting a loan spell back at Stoke last season.

Now with the Cherries, Stein is seeking better pickings to improve his stock with his Chelsea future in doubt.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.